Saw: Over the River and Through the Woods at the Muncie Civic that featured a stellar cast of actors (Hello, Wanita! Hello, Earl! Hello, Jan!). If you were in the audience, you could have seen a familiar fat cartoonist tear up for the last twenty minutes of the show. Strong men also cry...strong men also cry!

Received: The script for Moon Over Buffalo. Lots and lots and lots of lines! Challenging, but fun (Uh, right?)!

Hate: Being a hypochondriac! I need to train my mind to think I will live forever!

November 23, 2006
Lunar Landing: Well, I finally got some info from the Muncie Civic last Friday and it looks like I got a part in Moon Over Buffalo!  In fact, I was cast as one of the leads which came as a big surprise to this fat cartoonist. I've always considered myself a supporting character type so to get one of the main roles is kind of daunting, but exciting, too. Something tells me I have a lot of lines to remember! Memorizing will probably begin once I get the script this Friday.

More info as this story develops!

Faux pas: Yesterday I told a Jehovah's Witness to have a Happy Thanksgiving. Did I do bad?

My Granny's Favorite Flugelhornist: Chuck Mangione

Closing Words (Please Don't Get Offended!): Happy Thanksgiving and safe eating!

November 18, 2006
I went to see Barenaked Ladies in concert last night with my TiVo man, Nick. Here's some numbered observations (Kids, count along!):

1. Barenaked Ladies really put on a highly entertaining show that showcased their everyman charm and kick ass nerd rock.

2. Two fat men should never sit side-by-side in skinny people seats. For a few minutes, I knew what it felt like to have a conjoined twin. Fortunately, we were able to move to some seats that provided plenty of space for two full-sized fellows, but I will always remember the time when Nick and I were brothers of the thigh.

3. Predominant smell at the concert: Peanut Butter

4. On the way to Cincinnati, we stopped off to eat at a place that I thought no longer existed. Believe it or not, a Rax still grows in Indiana. I always believed that particular chain of roast beef eateries went out of business years ago, but it appears I was wrong. Stepping into Rax brought back memories of the late seventies/early eighties for me. The restaurant (Or, as Nick called it as he bussed his tray, a workaurant) was the exact duplicate to the one that once occupied Madison Street, right down to the little, white paper cups you pumped ketchup into. Truly a blast from the past.

5. No matter how close I am to my final destination, I will always make a wrong turn.

6. There is valet parking in Kentucky.

November 9, 2006
Election Results: I don't know about anybody else, but I was very pleased with the outcome of this year's elections. It was great to see the Bush administration finally getting its comeuppance from the American voters and I hope Karl Rove is still choking on his own bile. The resignation of Donald Rumsfeld was also an added bonus. I don't now how a Democratically controlled Congress will play out in the long run, but I hope they provide the proper oversight the current administration deserves and needs.

As for my voting experience, my polling place was fairly busy when I walked in. There was a line and I stood in it for about twenty-five minutes or so. Most of my fellow voters were elderly with one man practically comatose. Between them and the elderly volunteers, the place almost resembled a nursing home. The actual voting didn't take that long and I found the touch screen voting system fairly easy to use.

No News is No News: Well, it's been a number of weeks since my audition at The Muncie Civic and I haven't heard anything back from them. I'm presuming that means I didn't get a part which is okay. You can't win them all. I think there is another round of auditions occurring this Saturday and I'm currently debating if I'll attend them or not. Something to think about, I guess.

Back Home Again in Indiana: Tim came back to Muncie Monday and I had some breakfast with him yesterday. As always, it is good to see him and to hear about his experiences in Austin. He just finished working as a grip for an independent film and it sounds like he learned a lot on set. It's nice to know his dream to work in the movie business is actually coming true and hopefully he'll have more opportunities awaiting for him when he returns to Texas!

November 7, 2006

Vote!: Today's the day, folks! Get out there and make your voice heard! And let's hope this year's results will not be as depressing as 2004! Vote!

Possible Career Path: Recently I was working on a composite for a high school faculty at Touchy Feely Fotos and I noticed they had a study hall monitor listed as a member of the staff. Can you actually make a living as a study hall monitor? If so, sign me up! If I remember all of my study hall experiences correctly, the job would just require me to sit at a desk, read a newspaper, and shush talky students every now and then. Piece of cake! Of course, my luck you would need a college degree in study hallology to apply.

Observation: There are a lot of short women running around at my dead end job. There must have been a surplus this year.

As Seen on TV (Good): I've been enjoying the second season of The Office the past couple of weeks. The show really found its wings this season and was able to fly out of the original's shadow to become its own show. Highlights for me include Michael tearing up after winning a yogurt lid medal for buying his condo ("Office Olympics"), the Yankee Swap ("Christmas Party"), Jim spraying water on the injured Dwight and Michael in Meredith's booze wagon ("The Injury"), Michael's amazing Photoshop abilities ("Conflict Resolution"), and whenever Jenna Fischer is on camera (I have mentioned before that I think she's a sweetie, right?). Thanks again for the loan of the dvd, Nick! Now I just have to buy my own copy.

As Seen on TV (Bad): Okay, I haven't seen the episode, but I know what happened: Lost killed off Mr. Eko. I know there were several reasons for the move, but it's pretty disappointing when a show kills off one of its most interesting characters. Despite this, I'm still enjoying the ride, but I'm more wary as well.

Remember: Vote!  

October 26, 2006
I’ve always had a fondness for Archie Comics (and Harvey Comics, too, but that’s another post!) since I first discovered comic books as a seven year-old. I can’t exactly pinpoint the reason why. I guess I would point to the artwork of such greats as Dan DeCarlo, Harry Lucey, and Bob Bolling as a major factor. No matter the reason, Archie and the gang have wormed themselves into my heart so I still grab some Archie comics from time to time to keep in touch with my Riverdale nature. Recently, Jughead has been my Archie comic of choice mainly due to the amusing writing of Craig Boldman. In my opinion, there is no great Archie artist working at the moment, but Rex Lindsey and Rich Koslowski (of The 3 Geeks fame) handle the series well with some nice character work and interesting panel layouts.

Out of pure whimsy, I recently got a five issue subscription to Jughead and issue #177 was my first issue of the subscription. In honor of this, I’m going to do some Jughead  blogging!

The Cover: Doesn’t really stand out to me and the gag is feh tho it is nice to see Jughead wearing his mysterious “S” shirt. 

“Judge Jughead”: In this issue’s first story, Jughead is punished by Mr. Weatherbee for eating in class. His punishment? Serving as the judge for the school’s grievance court. Of course, nothing good comes out of this. Not the best Jughead story, but certainly not the worst. 

“Yes Man”: Archie is tired of Jughead constantly nay saying his bad ideas so Jughead tries to be positive concerning Archie’s harebrained schemes. When Archie plans to take Veronica and another girl to the Ice Festival at the same time, Jughead supports his friend all the way. Disaster then occurs, but Veronica takes her wrath out on Juggie when Archie tells her the needle nosed one approved of his idea. Overall, a fun story and definitely the best one in this issue. Bonus points for showing Jughead wearing a fur vest ala Sonny Bono.

“The Watcher”: Despite having the opportunities to do cool stuff with his friends, Jughead is stuck babysitting his baby sister, Jellybean (And, yes, he really does have a little sister despite the fact she doesn’t share the Jones nose like the rest of her family. If I was Jughead’s father, I would demand a blood test). However, his babysitting gig saves him from going out with Big Ethel which makes Jughead very happy. An average story with some unnecessary thought balloons for Jellybean. 

“The Beat Goes On”: In the final story for this issue, Ms. Grundy (Uh, I always thought she was Miss Grundy. When did that change?) doesn’t approve of Jug’s constant drumming, but other members of the faculty find some use for it (Why does that sound kind of dirty?). Another humdrum (Is that pun intended?) story, but I like it because it features cranky lunch lady Ms. Beazly and I always believe cranky lunch ladies make all comics better.

My Grade: B-

October 22, 2006
Working Stiff: I've been working some overtime for the past couple of weeks which is always nice on the wallet. I've been helping out in the shipping department, packing orders into boxes and sending them on their way. It's basically a pretty simple job, but it does involve a lot of standing which can be difficult on a fat cartoonist's legs, but I'm adjusting.

My Pain (Non-Leg Related): It can be frustrating to have a quick wit and a slow mouth.

As Seen on TV (Good): I recently saw the first two episodes of Dexter and I enjoyed them immensely. Michael C. Hall plays a serial killer that targets other killers in Miami while working for the police department as a blood splatter expert. Hall is strangely likable as an emotionally hollow man. Finally Showtime has a show worth watching! 

As Seen on TV (Bad): Charlotte Rae wearing a pink wig in a commercial for Trivial Pursuit.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: Like the fabled Samson before him, Eric Whetsel recently had all his hair chopped off. Unlike Samson, a woman named Delilah wasn't responsible for the act. That duty went to a barber named Fred.

Programming Note: Though I promised Jughead blogging last time, I'm afraid that may have to wait for a bit. Sorry, Archie fans!

October 15, 2006
Good-bye, Columbus Day: So did anybody celebrate the day we honor the man that gave us Adventures in Babysitting?
Besides bank employees and the postal service? I know I didn't get the day off. Is Columbus Day really necessary? Of all of the American holidays, it is truly the appendix.

Stage Tom: I went to an audition at the Muncie Civic yesterday and I think it went pretty well. Definitely an improvement from my bombtactular audition last year. There weren't many people when I arrived though I did bump into some familiar faces (Hello, Shaun! Hello, Barry!). I did a short monologue from Greater Tuna and I was prepared to sing a song from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, but I didn't see an accompanist about so I stuck to the monologue. It went quick. I guess we'll see if anything comes out of it.

 
Austin City Limits: According to my last phone conversation, Eric is now working at Dell, Brad has become a security guard, and Tim did some more extra work for Friday Night Lights. They bought a washer for twenty-five dollars last Sunday and Eric is learning some Spanish with the help of his fellow co-workers.

Eric's Spanish Word of the Day: Guero

Speaking of Which: I just bought Beck's new album. How about you?

Next Time: Jughead blogging!